In focus: Cristian Benavente

17 July 2015

mkdons.com

A closer look at the Dons' new recruit...

Born in Spain, Benavente joined the Real Madrid Academy at the age of eight and progressed through the youth system before linking up with the reserve side in 2013/14 after finishing the previous year as top goalscorer for the Under-18s side.

At this time, the forward had already started to feature for Peru, having previously played in their Under-17s and Under-20s sides – Benavente qualifies for the South Americans through his mother.

He made his first appearance for Peru at the age of 18 in a friendly against Mexico in front of 46,000 people at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. His first senior goal followed soon after in a 2-1 win over Panama.

During the 2013/14 campaign, as well as continuing to play for his national team, Benavente made eight appearances for Real Madrid Castilla, including four starts.

Last season, he featured 25 times for Zinedine Zidane’s outfit, contributing three goals including a very impressive strike against Atletico Madrid’s B side. He played in a number of positions throughout the year, including on both wings, attacking midfield and up front.

In 2014/15, he also added more international caps to his name, with his most recent appearance for Peru coming in April – Benavente appeared off the bench in a friendly against Venezuela.